KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The No. 7 Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team will face the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball on Friday night in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals at T-Mobile Center, marking another Top-10 showdown in a season full of them.
Iowa State (27-6) enters the matchup after a dominant start to the tournament, winning its first two games by a combined 71 points — the largest margin by any team in the opening two rounds of the Big 12 Tournament. The Cyclones most recently rolled
past No. 16 Texas Tech, 75-53, one day after a 91-42 victory over Arizona State.
The Cyclones are led by forward Joshua Jefferson, who averages 16.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic has also been a key contributor, setting the school’s single-season record for 3-pointers while shooting nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc.
Senior guard Tamin Lipsey anchors Iowa State defensively as he is the program’s all-time leader in steals.
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger has guided the Cyclones to one of the best stretches in program history. Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 25 for 50 consecutive weeks and opened the season with a program-record 16-game winning streak.
Arizona (30-2) enters the semifinal as one of the nation’s top teams under coach Tommy Lloyd. The Wildcats finished 16-2 in conference play and hold a top-three ranking in most national metrics.
The teams met earlier this month in Tucson, where Arizona won 73-57.
Friday’s semifinal tips off at 6 p.m. Central, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s Big 12 championship game.
Three questions prior to tip
Can Iowa State’s defense dictate the tempo again?
The Cyclones have dominated their first two Big 12 Tournament games defensively. Will that pressure be enough to slow down Arizona’s offense this time around?
Which player becomes the difference-maker tonight?
Will Iowa State lean on all-around star Joshua Jefferson and sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic, or will Arizona find a star to take control in a Top-10 matchup?
What adjustments does Iowa State make after the loss in Tucson earlier this month?
Arizona won the previous meeting 73-57. What needs to change for the Cyclones to flip the script on a neutral floor in Kansas City?
